Predation by three owl species on northern pocket gophers of different body mass

Janes, Stewart W.; Barss, John M.

doi:10.1007/bf00378454

Cited by 30 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Studies of predation by raptors indicate that prey body size (Barrett and Mackey, 1975;Snyder et al, 1976;Marti and Hogue, 1979;Postler and Barrett, 1982;James and Barss, 1985), conspicuousness (Kaufman and Wagner, 1973;Kaufman, 1974a), and/or levels and patterns of locomotor activity (Glickman and Morrison, 1969;Snyder et al, 1976;Kotler, 1985) influence prey vulnerability to raptor predation. The combined effects of these and other physical and behavioral parameters may explain differential vulnerability of male and female (Rusch et al, 1972) and of young and old (Goszczynski, 1977;Beacham, 1979;Brown, 1981) prey to raptors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Physical and Behavioral Correlates of Prey Vulnerability to Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Predation

Derting¹,

Cranford²

1989

American Midland Naturalist

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. The University of Notre Dame is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Midland Naturalist.ABSTRACT.-Prey vulnerability to barn owl (Tyto alba) predation was investigated using three rodent species-Microtus pennsylvanicus, Peromyscus leucopus and P. maniculatus. Relationships between rates of prey capture and the species, age, sex, body size and behavior of prey were assessed. Microtus were captured significantly more often than individuals of either Peromyscus species. Adults were captured more often than juveniles in each species except P. maniculatus. Capture rates of males as compared to females differed significantly among juveniles of each prey species but not among adults. Differential vulnerability of prey was correlated with prey size and behavioral characteristics influencing their vulnerability to capture. The results indicate that by foraging preferentially on Microtus, barn owls could maintain high levels of energy intake while minimizing foraging time and costs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Physical and Behavioral Correlates of Prey Vulnerability to Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Predation

Derting¹,

Cranford²

1989

American Midland Naturalist

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“…Scott and Murdoch 1983); this limit should increase with predator size. Alternatively, small predators may be physically unable to capture relatively large prey that move quickly (Pernetta 1976, Janes andBarss 1985), evade capture (Nentwig 1983, Richards andBull 1990), or have an exoskeleton that is too thick to puncture (Terry 1978). Large predators appear to be less constrained, morphologically, in taking very small prey; however, small prey may sometimes be too small to detect (Crowcroft 1957).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body Size‐Prey Relationships in Insectivorous Marsupials: Tests of Three Hypotheses

Fisher¹,

Dickman²

1993

Ecology

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There is a strong positive correlation between the body sizes of dasyurid marsupials and the mean sizes of the invertebrate prey. This study tests three hypotheses proposed to explain this relationship, using 21 species of dasyurids (body mass range: 5–200 g) throughout continental Australia: (1) the maximum prey size that can be physically handled increases with dasyurid size due to the restricted gapes of forces of biting of smaller dasyurids; (2) the prey size that maximizes rate of energy intake varies with dasyurid size, with animals preferentially consuming the most profitable prey; and (3) prey sizes encountered during foraging vary with dasyurid size. Field observations of dasyurids were made at 20 study areas between January 1980 and February 1991. Most dasyurids were live—trapped, weighed, and sexed before being released at the trap site. We then tracked each animal and sampled potential prey in their foraging microhabitats. Dasyurids diets were examined using scats analysis. We measured rate of energy intake for captive dasyurids by offering different—sized cockroaches, measuring processing times, and calculating the energy content of cockroaches used. The first hypothesis was rejected. Both large and small dasyurids could grasp and pierce the largest prey offered in the laboratory, which were similar in size to the largest prey potentially available in the field. The second and third hypotheses were supported. Individuals of the smaller species maximized rates of energy gain in captivity by feeding preferentially on small prey, and their foraging trails in the field traversed microhabitats where mean potential prey size encountered was small (2–4 mm long). In contrast, larger dasyurids preferred large prey, obtained a greater rate of energy gain from them, and foraged in microhabitats where prey lengths averaged @>6 mm. There was a tendency for larger dasyurids to include progressively larger prey in their diets than were available, on average, along their foraging trails. This may reflect increasing selectivity for larger prey. However, it may also reflect a reduced susceptibility to predation on increased competitive ability for large dasyurids in productive microhabitats, and hence reflect a size—based advantage in encountering large prey. These results indicate that net energy yield and the use of microhabitats with different prey sizes are the most important determinants of the body size—prey size relationship in dasyurid marsupials.

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“…One approach is to capture and mark rabbits with radio transmitters and record when are they killed, but the costs of materials and labour used in rabbit radio tracking studies renders collaring and monitoring of large numbers of rabbits prohibitively expensive. Another approach is to analyze prey remains left by predators at carcasses, skeletons, or big osseous structures of ingested prey that can be found in pile remains and in bigger raptor pellets (Janes and Barss 1985, Donázar and Ceballos 1989, Dickman et al 1991, Rohner et al 1995, Barry and Barry 1996. In carnivore feces, long osseous structures are more fragmented because carnivores crush the bones before swallowing, and only the smallest hard remains of prey can be recovered intact (Calzada and Palomares 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the size of European rabbits consumed by predators: Relationship between body mass and tooth dimensions

Calzada

Haydon²,

Palomares

2003

Acta Theriol

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2003. Estimating the size of European rabbits consumed by predators: Relationship between body mass and tooth dimensions. Acta Theriologica 48: 101-111.A method for estimating body mass of European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758) based on tooth dimensions is proposed. Regression models identified significant relationships between the body mass of 87 rabbits and individual tooth length, breadth, product of tooth length and breadth, and whether or not the individual was infected with myxomatosis. Dimensions of 10 of 14 different teeth explained over 80% of variation in body mass, and those teeth were selected as adequate predictors of rabbit body mass. Models were tested using teeth from 16 additional rabbits of known body mass. Body mass, predicted on the basis of 9 of the 10 selected teeth, was statistically indistinguishable from the observed values for all 16 individuals. When myxomatosis infection status of the rabbit was included in the model, all 10 selected teeth yielded predictions statistically indistinguishable from those observed. Prediction errors can be computed permitting statistical comparison of the average predicted value of body mass from different samples of rabbits. The model is useful in estimating rabbit body masses from teeth recovered from feces of predators and it will facilitate testing of hypotheses on size-selective predation. The method was applied to rabbit teeth found in fecal samples from the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus collected over a one-year period. Lynx preyed preferentially upon younger rabbits during the peak breeding period of this lagomorph.

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Predation by three owl species on northern pocket gophers of different body mass

Cited by 30 publications

References 28 publications

Physical and Behavioral Correlates of Prey Vulnerability to Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Predation

Physical and Behavioral Correlates of Prey Vulnerability to Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Predation

Body Size‐Prey Relationships in Insectivorous Marsupials: Tests of Three Hypotheses

Estimating the size of European rabbits consumed by predators: Relationship between body mass and tooth dimensions

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